Study Buddies

Ignoring the overwhelming consensus among scientists worldwide, the Bush administration this week unveiled a proposal that would have the U.S. embark on another years-long study to assess whether humans are causing the globe to warm. Industry officials and other climate skeptics lauded the research plan. But many climate scientists said it would simply reopen issues that most experts consider resolved. Others said more research would be helpful, but not at the expense of delaying action to address climate change. Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University said, “If you strip away the rhetoric, there’s a valuable agenda of research here to pursue. The danger is that while they’re continuing to do the research, the window of opportunity to avoid dangerous global warming is closing.” The feds are accepting public comment on the plan through early January 2003.